TNT Won’t Shut the Door on ‘The Closer’ Just Yet

The door may not yet be officially closed on The Closer, the hit crime drama starring Kyra Sedgwick. When TNT previously heralded the end of the long-running series after its seventh season, the producers and stars of The Closer were quoted in a lofty network press release celebrating the achievements of the program, all concurring that the time to move on had finally come. Well, that was then.

It now appears that there won’t be as much closure as one would have otherwise expected from the finale of the The Closer this season. According to various industry reports Monday, TNT is actively – and aggressively – searching for ways to squeeze just a tad bit more life out of its flagship series – a show so popular that it drew in excess of eight million viewers per episodes during the last season.

TNT has apparently awakened to the realization that letting a good thing go is neither a good idea or a fiscally sound move to make. As a result, a number of options are said to be on the table – creative options that include possibly extending the life of the current 15-episode season by six additional episodes. But could that really happen? Sources close to the project say the appetite for more is so strong that virtually nothing has been ruled out yet. What’s more, there’s a potential 9-episode order for a “spin-off” series being considered, although it would only include cast members other than Kyra Sedgwick, whose contractual obligations to TNT and The Closer conclude at the end of season 7.

Of course, contracts can be re-signed and re-negotiated. Having won her first Emmy last summer for Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson on The Closer, Sedgwick expressed what appeared to be a concrete view that her time to depart from the hugely successful series had arrived. Still, with the possible loss of advertising revenue TNT would experience from losing their biggest hit, the network might be willing to make it worth Sedgwick’s while to open the door to The Closer once more.